I got this at a great price so I'm definitely factoring that into my overall rating.
I also just bought a Soundmatters MainstageHD system to compare this with for my room. The Yamaha definitely has better "surround" but I feel the MainstageHD gave me a better front performance. The midrange here is pretty poor compared to the Mainstage. If only that thing can handle DTS I would've bought 2 just so I could pair it up for true surround.
What the Yamaha has over it is that it came with the sub. It's boomy but I'd say it's just average as far as subs go.
This unit is great for small to medium sized rooms if you don't want to run a lot of cable. If your room is NOT square/rectangular with near perfect symetry, forget about getting this unit. You will have a tough time distinguishing between surround and stereo.
Wanted to improve the sound of DVD's and TV over the speakers in my Samsung LED-TV but did not want to run wires all over the bedroom. Could have done a system with wireless rear speakers but they need power and could not power both without running cords. Did not want to pay big bucks for a Yamaha or like system so read reviews and initially bought a Boston Acoustics soundbar but while it improved the sound, it wasn't what I had hoped for. Also, the wireless subwoofer had a constant low level hum all the time.
So, researched more reviews and went for the Sony, found a good price on Amazon and ordered. It exceeded my expectations. Sound is crisp and clean, bass is plentiful and it fills my 16X14 room. Cable music channels sound great and movies are fantastic. If you want improved sound without the hassle, this will meet your needs.
